Forgiveness
by wacompop
Summary: He missed the chance and it was killing him slowly.   Hint of possible Ezio/Leonardo in the future
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so those of you who have played the pc game [it's probably in other consoles too], there is a quick scene when Leonardo and Ezio arrive in Venice. They chat and when the artist is about to go back into his home, he raises his arms and it's up to you to press a button really quickly to initiate the "bro hug". Well, obviously I missed it and it really made me sad. I love Leonardo's character personality and pretty much everything else so the fact that I lost my only chance to hug him made me depressed and flustered for the rest of the night. So I decided to torture Ezio too. Nothing bad at all-slight slight fluff? I would love comments and if there is Italian errors, please correct me [you can never trust the internet 100%]. This is also my first story in a long time-I plan to continue and advance my writing so expect more from me.

Enjoy. 

He wasn't paying attention.

It was too quick-too sudden for the young man to react. His white hood covered his now red fluster face.

The youthful artist simply half smiled, shrugging his shoulders away and dropping his arms as he began to fumble for the doorknob to his new house in Venice, Italy. It was beautiful indeed. Just like the one back in his old town, and the free-spirited Leonardo da Vinci knew he was going to love it even more. Venice was a sight to see too. As the early Renaissance explorations began to take place, people and places were blooming. Few began to take leaps of faith and discover new ideas and philosophies while the majority of Italians flowed with the new years, blending in and continuing on with their lives. Da Vinci was one of the few individuals that wanted to make a difference. He was lively, more upbeat than the "average" Italian, so when he raised his arms in front of Ezio, his new friend, he was at least expecting a hug or some sort. It's what friends did, right?

"No worries friend," Da Vinci slightly lowered his head down so that his crystal blue eyes only stared at the young assassin. "You know my house will always be open for you. I'll gladly be of your assistance." The young man stiffened his body and began to turn the knob, cracking some light into his new home. He lightly chuckled to himself as his eyes glanced up and down the crack in the door to his house, exploring a new environment.

"L-Leonardo…"Ezio was too confused to continue with his sentence. He knew what he did, and he missed it. He wasn't expecting it. To his novice eyes, Leonardo and he were simply acquaintances. It's not like they met every day and chatted for hours in his home. Ezio only really used him in order to decode the codex pages that he find running through the streets of Florence or Monteriggioni-and that thought only made him feel worse.

"Ah. Ah. Ah!" Quickly an index finger rose in front of Ezio, swinging from one side to another every time the syllable broke out and the cloaked man took a step back, pulling off his decorative hood as he did so. His deep brown eyes blinked rapidly for a minute, trying his best to adjust to the new morning that has covered Venice. His assassin uniform glowed beautiful though. His silvers reacted with the sun, gleaming in every direction possible, even making it somewhat difficult for the artist to not ignore. Leonardo closed his eyes for a second and slowly opened them up towards Ezio. He had a feeling that the assassin knew what happened and it caused silence between the two.

"…." Leonardo couldn't keep it quiet it for too long. That wasn't his nature.

"It's fine, Ezio." He did his smile again and pushed open his door, obviously leaving no room for the cloaked assassin to enter after him, "You should explore the city more Ezio. I heard it's quite beautiful over here. Ehh…come find me again whenever you discover more of those codexes for me. They're quite fun to solve, yes?" Leonardo paused and glanced at Ezio. The young man seemed distraught…confused even and unsure how to react to the given scenario. If anything it was just plain old awkwardness that the two had produce and Ezio was making it difficult for Da Vinci to break it.

"A presto…Ezio." And just like that, the door was closed in front of the young man. Of course this led to no difference in the stagnant position of Ezio. He made no noise…he made no movement what's so ever. The man probably stayed in front of his door for at least another minute before realizing that the guide that showed Leonardo and Ezio around the town was already back with all of Leonardo's personal items causing Ezio to apologize and step out of the way and into the crowd of Venice.

He didn't mean to be rude…inconsistent with his actions or anything else along those lines. Ezio began to walk down the streets of Venice, pulling his hood over his head at the same time. It simply wasn't just _his_ fault right?

_Leonardo was being too quick!_

_He knew he should have given me more time than that! I was looking down at the floor. My boot had a smudge on it. It was red right? Did I make him mad?_

"Merda!" Ezio spat out to himself, picking up his pace as he made to a central square in the middle of the city. A cathedral stood tall over the rest of the houses. Why was this bothering him so much? It was a simple hug he didn't give to Leonardo. All he had to do was to shrug it away and continue on with his hit list he was chasing after. But something didn't feel right. Guilt perhaps? The fact that Leonardo was such a genuinely kind person, he deserves more than a wave or a smile? Ezio couldn't let go. A clump of feelings was forming in his throat and it threw the man off ever than before. The assassin liked Da Vinci but never more than friends. He knew he was always interested in women and only women. Sure he adored many men before him but only for their valiance and personality…nothing more. His mind was pushing the thought of liking Leonardo "more than that" away from him.

Maybe it was the face Leonardo was giving when he was denied the hug. Sure, it was awkward afterwards, but he just looked so…so innocent in Ezio's eyes! His sky blue eyes giving a look of pure sadness. He almost looked feminine in Ezio's mind. Leonardo's looks…his personality, everything about him was very feminine, but not in a bad way. Almost motherly in the way he cared so much about life and others. Ezio would always hug his mother when she needed it…perhaps it was this feeling that was bothering him? The fact that since he could no longer react with his mother ever since the accident, when he noticed the face of Leonardo, it was an instinctive feeling to hug him, but the chance was quickly lost. Perhaps….

Ezio sighed and began to run up a wall, allowing his very tips of his fingers to grab onto a slipping brick. He would climb. He would climb to the very top of the tower, thinking over of his situation. Maybe he just thought too much. The assassin climbed- tips of fingers red and soon to be swollen while his toes cramped up every time he swayed to the nearest pole to grab. It was just supposed to be a friendship hug after all…nothing more. Ezio began to sweat, the higher he went, the closer he was to the sun. He knew he had to stop and find a flat top soon to rest before his hands begin to slip. He needed to give back that hug to Leonardo. He couldn't finish the day until he did. It was guilt. It was instinct. It was anything in order to see that bright smile Da Vinci gave whenever he was happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second Chapter: **Sorry guys-chapter is a little short. It's all about Leonardo here. I didn't want to add Ezio yet because I didn't want to make it seem all bunched up and confusing. But we did add a new character [oc I suppose]. I really did try my hardest at picking out a real assistant Leonardo might have had, but his most common one, Salai, didn't come into the picture until 1488/1490 and Leonardo and Ezio didn't arrive in Venice until 1481, sooo...the artist has a new servant.

**Vocab: **_Che c'è di nuovo? _[What's new?] Used the internet, so if it's wrong, I'm sorry.

Oh, I claim no rights to these characters and all that jazz, but Leonardo has stolen my heart.

* * *

Leonardo yawned as he paced around his new house. It was an exact replica of his old home back in Florence, give or take the dimensions of his new house were bigger to accompany his many unfinished art pieces and new secret machines that were hanging from every corner. He forced a small smile towards his assistant, Fiorello, who was the one to quickly assemble all the furniture and paintings in their correct area. For a moment it seemed, Leonardo lost all his inspiration. He knew he was placed in Venice to begin working on some art commissions, but now he didn't feel the need to even pull out the canvas to begin a sketch. He didn't know what the feeling was-it was a rare day when the artist ever felt sad. His blue eyes were the only thing that was shining in his house, everything else was dull and rich with warm, earthy colors. He was in his own world, now sitting on a stool, playing with a certain chess piece-letting it glide over his fingers, when his assistant's head popped out from the small kitchen entryway.

"W-would you like some wine Sir?" asked Fiorello, causing a small jump from Leonardo. Fiorello was a young assistant-maybe hitting seventeen at the most. Tall for his age, Fiorello hardly left Leonardo's side for a fear that others will stare at his height and mock him. He only left to work on his errands around sun set and returned home with the moon shining on his pale skin, but he was a beautiful child none the less. His mother wanted him to start working out in the real word instead of spending all his time with women and causing mischiefs with friends. He was also an aspiring artist, so when Leonardo opened up positions, he was the first to ask, and Leonardo was quick to give it to him. Fiorello slightly backed down when the older artist shook his head and waved him off.

"Come? Oh.. no no. Grazie..." Leonardo took in a deep breath and held it in for a minute before releasing everything in a smooth motion. He looked down to examine his chess piece-The Knight. Such a beautifully done piece-probably the best looking piece of the game. The Knight was the most valiant of the pieced-the one to come up with the best strategy with its unique "L-shaped" movement and one of the few taller looking pieces right next to the King, Queen, and Bishop. The Knight had such a high standard and royal atmosphere surrounding him that it seemed to make Leonardo jealous. He would never be a knight. He wasn't courageous even in his own eyes-he didn't even like to argue. The older man frowned at this notice and quickly placed the chess piece back on its original board with the other ones before returning his gaze to the younger boy.

"Fiorello…you have friends, si?" questioned Leonardo, raising an eyebrow.

"H-hm? Oh, si Sir!" The younger boy leaned against the door frame, carefully watching the artist. "I had a few close f-friends back in Florence."

"Did you use to hang out with them all the time?"

"W-when I had the chance Sir. I mean, I didn't like to venture out into the streets, but when we did hang out…it was the best Sir." Fiorello showed a complacent expression.

"Buono.." Leonardo kindly smiled towards the boy. He needed that-just seeing another human being in his life curve their lips upward always in turn made the artist do the exact same. Yes, he was…jealous you could say and it also angered him for being envious of such a young child and his friends, but if anything else, he was happy for the boy. It made Leonardo remember the younger years-his friends…his…one true 'friend' at the moment…Ezio Auditore. He was gracious to have met such a man like the assassin. There was a sudden feeling of acceptance from him. Leonardo knew Ezio would never hate a human being for being…different perhaps. Although they may not have talked as much as friends would of in the past, the artist still saw the man as a close friend-one of his only close friends. He didn't have many in general, but the ones that were his friends managed to stay his friends and remain close to the artist's heart.

He didn't work. His feelings of sadness did happen to disappear for now, but his motivations were still gone. He sighed at his work desk, looking over his ideas on the next piece of artwork he was supposed to be done with already for a commissioner. He wondered where Ezio had gone. He wondered if the younger man would come back for a short visit before the day was up. He wondered if Ezio would ever come back just for a chat…instead of asking to do those damn complex codex puzzles for him. Then again…those puzzles were just too fun to solve.

"_Che c'è di nuovo?_"


	3. Chapter 3

Oh my. Sorry for the wait guys. This chapter took longer than expected-then again I was being lazy. Working on it, fully inspired...and then ten minutes later, uninspired. Yay.

Enjoy.

* * *

Venice was flourishing now. More people started to appear on the streets, vendors were fully now in business and time was ticking away. The sun was shining brightly, seeping in through the miraculously glassworks from the grand churches and causing the Venice water ways to look like clear glass. It was true, Venice was alive and beautiful. Even when there were prostitutes and thieves to "dirty" up the image, their power alone could not devastate the city. Venice –the city that floated on water. An "Atlantis" above the earth-such a powerhouse.

The young assassin was resting-relaxing. He was on top of St Mark's Campanile, the famous bell tower that looms over St. Mark's piazza. He was sitting over the ledge in the arches; his right foot swinging gently back and forth whiles his left leg was propped up against the edge, allowing him to rest his arm on it. His hood was down and Ezio, for once, enjoyed his time in Venice. He himself finally saw the beauty in another place besides his own town, Florence. Leonardo was right, it was indeed breathtaking, and this made Ezio wish he never became an assassin. Of course, it was bound to happen as his father and older brother Federico Auditore were assassins (one of them being a trainee of course). But perhaps, one day, he will live a normal day-with a normal family, but the legacy…

It has to continue…

Ezio heavily sighed and leaned his head back. He had other things in his mind besides "living normally" to be worried about. Leonardo…Leonardo. His _acquaintance_…the only time when he needed him was with those damn codex puzzles anyway. Nothing more-there was no _real_ relationship with the two, yet Leonardo made it seem that way. The young man frowned and forced himself onto his back, admiring the atmosphere around him. Such delicacy…beauty. Leonardo was delicate too-like a flower…a lily even. No doubt about it, Ezio thought differently of the man's…_interest_ in things several times when they've met, but it never bothered him. He was not one to judge others simple because of preference. It was a time of exploration. People were being more open minded on sexuality-on painting, books, everywhere. Many had multiple relationships; some simply had sex with a different woman every night-someone like Ezio. The man smirked to himself at all the fun times he has had so far during his youth. When there was a pretty girl in his sight, the man flirted. It was instinct…if anything, he just wanted to get under their dresses.

But when it came to men…never. It never crossed his mind-not once…until now however. He heavily blushed at the thought of Leonardo, causing his hands to quickly move towards his hood, pulling them over his eyes. When he had the chance, Ezio _did_ watch Leonardo a lot. When he visited the young artist, he watched everything. Although it was for a short while (Leonardo completed those puzzles in minutes) and it was also the back of the artist the assassin stared at, he enjoyed it. When he did get the chance to view the anterior position of the older man however, it was bliss. The way he smiled…almost like a child when he received those puzzles. The way his hands quickly move in a swift style, working on those puzzles. His eyes…those damn blue eyes-beautiful. Beyond beautiful Ezio thought-more incredible than the eyes of the many females he has slept with. There was nothing to use to compare with Leonardo's eyes. Something about them…hypnotized the assassin. Put him in a trance- it was impossible _not_ to stare!

"_Bello…"_

An exaggerated sigh escaped Ezio's lips. He was thinking about that hug-that damn hug he passed up from Leonardo. He thought of the worse scenarios-perhaps the artist was crying now. He probably burnt all his artwork and sketches. Maybe he left Venice and returned home-maybe a new town. What if he left to a completely new country and didn't even bother to tell his servant? The assassin growled in fury, rolling over onto his side, propping a leg up now. He was completely bothered by the thought-no way could it happen. Leonardo wasn't an actor. He wouldn't put up a show just to show some attention. If anything, the man had gone back to painting, smiling and exuberant as ever. He was probably not even affected by the _rejection_ of the hug.

No…it wasn't a rejection. He just didn't have time.

Ezio knew he had to go back soon. He didn't know how he was going to initiate the plan, but he knew he had to return the favor. Give Leonardo the hug he wanted in the first place. Maybe actually spend some time with man. Go out and enjoy the night-pick up females along the way, go watch a play…something to actually start a conversation with the artist and possibly begin a better relationship instead of being "Oh hey, another puzzle. Knock yourself out." The assassin sat up from his position and stared out into the town's landscape. The sun was still high in the sky and delicious, moist food of all kinds could be smelled for hours-lunch time had just started. Ezio knew he still had time, but he also knew if he continued to sit around and contemplate on the scenario he just created, it'll be too late. He pushed himself off of the floor and slowly stepped onto the edge of the tower, a mild wind blowing throw his robes. Below him, he could barely spot a wagon, full of cottage pink flower petals, and looking as soft as ever. The tip of his boots were floating on air now, the assassin taking in one last breath before his body started to lean forward on its own. Time slowed down for Ezio…

A leap of faith…

He landed with a rather loud thud. The petals, not only cushioned him, but pushed themselves up into the sky with the sudden force the assassin made, slowly floating back down into their original position. Ezio laid inside the wagon of petals, slowly getting back his composure as the sound of the Venetian people began to echo through his head. He popped his head out curiously from underneath the pink petals, leaning his chin against the edge of the wagon, simply watching the people. Some continued on with their lives, commenting under their breath how the strange man inside the wagon must be drunk while others simply stopped and stared at the man straight on, commenting how drunk he must be in order to hide in a wagon of flowers…pink flowers. The assassin only smirked; his eyes covered by his hood as he continued to watch. Peasants, high class, merchants, prostitutes (which Ezio kept throwing little smiles at), thieves and the officers-all roamed Venice freely, and without a care in the world. Again, he wished he lived the simple life again. All before he turned into an assassin-on his own, with his older brother, off in the streets of Florence, playing around with the girls or doing a little cat and mouse chase. Oh how Ezio wished his world never turned upside down, but what's done is done.

The young man finally jumped out of the wagon when an officer dressed in gold metal became suspicious and began to harass Ezio, commanding him to "get out of the way" or "stop publicly humiliating yourself". He quickly jumped out, and made his way through the crowd, making sure the officer didn't catch his face…or his drapes. The assassin left a trail of pink flowers behind him as he began his way towards Leonardo da Vinci.

The artist, on the other hand, wasn't really expecting anyone at the moment. In fact, Leonardo was asleep, over his work table, on top of his drafts and…drooling oh so lightly. His servant, Fiorello, quickly placed a blanket over the older man before putting one over him-letting this time become his nap time. At his workshop, nothing new really has happened. Leonardo just finished the first draft (out of many) of his commissioned work before taking his daily nap on the table. His red beret was slowly slipping off when he heard a knock or two outside his door, causing the man to jump up from his rest, and with that…allowed his beret to completely slide off.

"Ah~! Madonna! He's here! He's here!" Leonardo gasped and pushed himself off of the desk, pushing his work onto the floor along the way. In his mind, the artist thought that the man outside his door was the commissioner and the fact that he was barely done with the first draft put the artist into frenzy.

"Fiorello! Ch! Destare!" He snapped at his servant before he quickly positioned himself behind an easel, panting softly-trying his best to regain some self-control. He picked up a few pieces of paper, pretending he was going over the next step to his art while his servant quickly ran to the door and opened it for the guest. Leonardo had no idea who it was due to the fact that the easel was facing the door and the large piece of canvas was blocking the artist's view of the assassin. His beret was still on the floor somewhere…

"Ohh…Sir! What brings you here?" Leonardo said, cheerfully pulling on a smile behind him as he continued to fake painting, "As you can see, I am working on your piece as we speak! Ahh, beautiful work it is. I am honored to be painting it!" A sweat drop could be seen slowly sliding off his cheek. He was worried that his commissioner would take a peek at his process….his _grand_ process.

The assassin simply tilted his head and raised a brow, pressing his lips together. He eyed Fiorello, who simply shrugged his shoulders and ran into the back room. Ezio soon laughed quietly to himself however, popping his head out from behind the canvas.

"Leonardo! It's only me, Ezio." The assassin took a step back and felt a strange bump on the floor. He looked down to spot the artist's hat he was stepping on. The younger man quickly grabbed it and slipped it into one of his pouches. Leonardo, on the other hand, jumped up slightly and began to laugh at himself too; rather embarrassed at the situation he put himself in.

"Ezio! Mio Dio! You scared me!" A light line or red dashed across his freckled cheeks as he made his way around the easel. He went to place a hand onto his head when he finally noticed…his favorite beret went missing. He spun around and began to frantically search for his hat all while leaving his dear friend Ezio on his own.

The assassin, on the other hand, simply stood tall, watching the artist move papers and search under desks all for a beret. This actually made Ezio uncomfortable all of a sudden as he watched the man steadily, feeling like a shadow. He remained quiet, eyes fixed on the man-causing him to slightly blush. Ten minutes past slowly, watching the artist in every angle as he continued to look for his beret, quickly losing his hope. Leonardo sighed in defeat, his back facing the younger man, as he knew he had forever lost his favorite beret.

"Ezio…you didn't happen to stumble upon my beret?" asked Leonardo. It was only then, he spun on his heel only to take a stumble back in surprise. His hat was held out by Ezio's hand-unharmed. His blue eyes widened in happiness as he swiftly picked it up and plopped it back down on his brown locks before reaching out towards the assassin. The artist began to raise his arms up before realizing the situation from before, so, in the end, he quickly slid his arms down, reaching behind him instead. The younger assassin remained motionless.

"Ahh…right, ha-ha. Grazie amico." Leonardo forced a cough before changing his expression to that of peacefulness. He nodded before going back towards his easel-Ezio wasn't speaking. Ezio wasn't responding…he was just standing there like a statue…

"_Una statua di bella ..."_

The assassin simply nodded before giving back the hat. To him, he felt uneasy. The scenario from before wasn't leaving his mind. A moment later and he realized _again _that the artist looked like he was going for a hug again before giving up, which caused the man to tense up under his robes. He felt bad naturally. Ezio was reenacting the whole skit from before-making it twice as awkward for the both of them. It took the assassin a few seconds to realize what he was here for again. He took a breath, forced all the hair out and soon was able to relax-the idea not from his mind.

"L-Leonardo…I-"

"Ah! Yes Ezio? What can I do for you now?"

Ezio had an instinct to slide his hand into his robe and pull out a codex for the artist, but quickly resisted and continued.

"Look, there's something that has been bothering me." He crossed his arms over his chest and took a step towards the older man. He rolled his lips in and raised a brow.

"Yes amico?" Leonardo slightly tilted his head so that he was now eyeing the assassin. His smile disappeared and an expression of worry covered his face. Two blue crystals orbs blinked slowly at the younger Italian. Why was Ezio here? He didn't ask for his codex to be solved, so…why else would he want the artist for?

* * *

Ahh...cliffhanger. Fun~

Eh, I'm not so proud of the ending on here...

Oh Leonardo...you and that beret you love.


End file.
